Opinion
Published on September 23, 2014
An opinion piece by Michael J. Quigley
The recent rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), or simply the Islamic State (IS), has rekindled a fear that this group may soon attack American cities. Today, President Obama will give an address to the American people outlining his strategy for combating the terrorist group. In a letter to Speaker John Boehner, a bipartisan group of members of Congress stated the need to debate and vote on whether to authorize President Obama to expand operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. That is the right approach – a public discussion which will allow us to understand the nature of ISIS and the extent to which existing authorities permit the administration to target the group.
The brutal murder of a second American journalist, Steven Sotloff, ups the ante for the U.S. to respond on our terms, not theirs – to use the tools at our disposal to track those responsible without giving them what they want.
